Brake-operating mechanism for automobiles



Aug. 25, 192.5.

J. G. DICK;

BRAKE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES .Filed mg. 2v. 1924 imn@ s3 I 11o/m anic/f' INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITE-D, STATES.;

asstra PATENT] orFic-E.

JOHN e. DICK, or` oHINooK, MONTANA.

BRAKE-OPERATING- MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOILES Applicatonilegl August 2, 1924. SeriaLCN'o. '729,774'. Y v

an emergency without releasing his hold on i the steeringwheelzwith one hand and' gropling@ around 'for the hand brake lever, an operation which requires himto lean forwardly `and change his position, moreor lesseon the drivers seat and distractinfr his attention from-,the path before him.

Another object is to rprovide simple mechanism which maybe `easily installed in position in i carsv of various types without very materially adding to the cost thereof, said mechanism being located atone side of the car, `saythe leftrside, in accordance with present-day ymethods of construction, and having means which may be readily grasped by the left handwith a minimum amount of movement of the, same, u after releasing the fhold upon the steering, fwheel, to forcibly and effectively apply thebrakes;

A-finalzobject is Ato provide mechanisn for operating brakes which may be installed withou-tmaterially affecting the present Vconstruction and Vconnected up to the controller shaft, as found incertain makes of cars, to actuate the samein the required `manner to apply `the brakes, and Vwithout disturbing` thepresent connections between the said shaft and the clutch pedal, whereby the pedal may be depressed to actuate the clutch without affecting `the brakes, but when the improved device'isoperated to rotatethe controller shaftl and apply the brakes, the i clutch is also y thrown out.

Afull and completeunderstanding of the invention may be obtained vfrom a considera-` tion of the following detailed description,

taken in connectionfwithith'e accompanying` drawings,-forming appart ofthis specifica.- 'e

tion, it being `understood that while-the drawings showt a practicalformof the invention, :the: latter `is not `to beconfined tto.V strict *conformity with the showing-thereon but may be changed or modified, so :long ,as

`tendslongitudinally ofthe car.

such changes or modifications mark `no `ma-` terial departure frointhe salientofeatures of the invention, as specifically pointed `outy in .the appended` claims.

In the drawings, in which similar 4reference 'characters designate correspondingly' parts throughout the several figures z- Figure 1 is a view, `taken transversely-cfm kthe chassis of an automobile, and showing! the improved brake opera-ting means in .elevation. 1 i

Figure 2 is a top planview thereof. Figure 3 is a sectionalview taken on the.-

line 3 3 of Figure l and lookinglin the direction of the arrow.

Figurev 4 is asectional viewtakenon the y line 4 4 of Figure l and .loo'kingtf-in Ethe i direction ofthe arrow.-

Referring `to the drawings,1 particularly Figure 1 thereof, there is shown .they frame..-

members l of the chassis ofan automobile l;

in transverse section, and `to which` are adapted to be rigidlyisecureda pair` ofH transverse bars2 of sufhcientstrength to support the improved device `.in a ymanner to be explained. The bars2 extend out-t wardly to the left of the car, andbeyond "the left' handV frame member` asuiicient `distance to correspond with the sideof the car" body, whetherthe Asame be of.' the openffon closed model, the said bars being thereE bent Vupwardly to formlegs or standards-3 en tended-to a position `substantially onfa level i with the steering wheel A` ofthe car, and substantially `opposite the same transversely ofthe car.

TheY said n bar is providedlin itsverticatflangej 5 with ,a

a horizontalA bearing p Aopening- 6 iarrangedV at -the center thereof, yand the horizontal:Y i

fiange 7 is likewise provided `witha `'vertical Y bearing opening-8. Opposite to,thefbearingg (i,1 the `inner fwall of theibearing @frame 4 iis Vz also provided `with. a-bearingwpeninggf6a,

iu alinenient with the bearing 6 and adapted to receive therewith, a relatively short shaft 9 arranged transversely of the car and extending inwardly towards 'the steering AwheelA a distance sufcient to receive a hand wheel 10 for turning said shaft.

The shaft 9 also carries a ratchet wheel 11 located just within the adjacent inner wall of the bearing frame, and said ratchet wheel is adaptedto beengaged by a dog or pawl 12, pivotally mounted on a ybracket 12a se l upper end seated in the aforesaid bearing 8..

The vertical shaft 1G, together with the upright rods 3 are, adapted to be located just within the body of this car, or the same may be concealed therein as the car is built.

Secured to the lefthand frame member 1 is an outstanding bracket 17, bent or returned upon itself to provide a housing at its outer end, and to provide a double bearing for the lower end of the vertical shaft 16 which carries a bevel gear y18 in mesh with a coacting bevel gear 19 mounted on the extended end 20 of the controller shaft of the automobile,

The controller shaft which ordinarily has the hand brake lever connected'thereto, but

which is now eliminated, is mounted in bearings 21 connected to the under sides of the frame members 1, and has the usual bowed portion 20a between the said members 1, which provides for the usual transmission housing located at this point and not shown in the drawings. The outer end of the controller shaft is mounted in bearings 'formed in the housing' at the outer end of th-e aforesaid bracket 17, and the bevel gears 18 and 19 are located within said housing, as shown in Figure 1,

Theusual crank arms are secured to the controller shaft near the outer sides of the members 1, to which are connected the brake pull rods 22, and at the inner side of the left hand member 1 there is connected the usual arm 23, used in Ford cars, said arm having a cam (notshown) for coaction with the usual clutch pedal through certain connections, whereby the said clutch pedal may be depressed for throwing out the clutch without effecting th-e controller shaft 20, but which provides for throwing out the said clutch whenever the brakes ar-e applied through rthe improved 4mechanism.

From the foregoing it will be seen that simple means have been provided for apply ing the brakes to the rear wheel of automobiles, said means being easily actuated by a slight movement of th-e left hand of the driver from its position on the steering wheelV to the periphery of the brake wheel 10, when a slight movement downwardly on the same serves to apply the brakes to a greater or lesser degree. It is not necessary to turn the wheel more than aportion of a revolution to stop the car, and for this reason the gears 14, 15, 18 and 19 may be in the form of segments, and the form of the lower bracket 17 may be changed also.

lVhen the brakes are applied and underv tension, thepawl 12 holds the same by its engagement with the ratchet wheel, and it is only necessary to depress the knob end thereof to release the same. v

Vhat is claimed is 1. In brake operating mechanism for automobiles, the combination withthe brake controlling shaft thereof, of a brake applying hand wheel located to one lside of and adjacent to the. steering wheel, said brake applying wheel being mounted on a relatively short horizontal shaft arranged transversely of the automobile andsubstantially on a level vwith said steering wheel, a horizontally disposed bearing frame located at the adjacent side of the automobilebody and having alined, spaced bearings for said shaft, a. bevel gear and a ratchet wheel mounted on the latter shaft, a vertical shaft located at the said side ofthe automobile and having is upper end mounted in a bean ing in said frame and provided with abevel gear in mesh with the first bevel gear, a cover removably securedy to the frame, av spring-pressed pawl carried by the' cover to engage the ratchet wheel to hold the short shaft from turning, said pawl having au end exposed through' the'cover to release the same, upright arms mounted on the chassis and connected to the bearing frame to' support the latter, a horizontally disposed bearing bracket extending laterally from the outer side of the chassis and having a beary ing for the extended end of the brake controlling shaft and also a bearing for the lower end of the said vertical shaft, and coacting beveled gearsA mounted within the bracket and on the adjacent ends of the brake controlling shaft and the vertical shaft respectively to apply the brakes when the said brake applying hand wheel is rotated.

2. 'In mechanism for controlling the' brakes of automobiles, f ar boxingv frame mounted at the side of the automobile in line with the steering wheel thereof, a horizont-al shaft mounted in the frame Vand having a hand wheel on its outer end outside of the frame adjacent to the said steering wheel,

said hand Wheel being located substantially at right angles to the steering Wheel and spaced therefrom, paWl and ratchet means for preventing retrograde movement of the shaft and hand Wheel, an outwardly extending` support carried by the chassis of the automobile, a vertically disposed shaft mounted in Said support at its lovver end and in the boxing frame at its upper end, and gears i l connecting the vertical shaft to the hand Wheel shaft and to the controller shaft of the automobile to apply the brakes when the hand Wheel is turned, the hand Wheel being adapted to be turned by the left hand While the steering Wheel is turned by the right tJOHN G. DICK. 

